A DRUNKEN ex-army serviceman acted in a “disgusting” manner by slapping a teenage girl’s backside and jabbing his finger into a police officer’s face.

Richard Taylor, 44, approached an 18-year-old girl outside a bar in High Street, Dovercourt, in the early hours of June 27 last year.

The victim was outside the venue with a group of friends when she felt someone slap her across her backside.

One of her friends witnessed the assault.

Dingle Clark, prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court, said: “He describes the action of the defendant as ‘bowling a ball style’, with an open palm.

“When [the victim] turned around she saw the defendant within touching distance of her and challenged him and asked what he was doing.

“His reaction, albeit a few moments later, was to say: ‘If I did slap your arse it’s because you have a great bum.

“It turned out [the victim’s] friends demanded an apology, and they were quite quickly on to the defendant. One of them removed Mr Taylor’s cap so he could be seen on CCTV.”

The police were quickly on the scene and when they attempted to talk to Taylor, he was abusive and uncooperative.

Taylor pushed his finger into one officer’s face.

He was arrested and in police interview said he was intoxicated and had no recollection of the evening’s events.

Taylor, of Orwell Road, Dovercourt, admitted sexual assault and assaulting an emergency worker.

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Gavin Burrell, mitigating, said his client had stopped drinking and using cannabis since committing the offences.

“He says a lot of his problems have been solved by not taking those substances,” he said.

“There’s reference in the report to him having suicidal thoughts or overthinking matters, he says by not being subject to intoxication to alcohol and cannabis he’s not overthinking things. He has a brighter outlook on life.

“He is enrolled on various courses to make himself more employable.”

Judge Mary Loram QC said Taylor had behaved in a “disgusting” way towards the teenager and the police officer.

She added: “I accept entirely you were very drunk, but that doesn’t make it any better.

“It is to the credit of [the victim] and her friends that they didn’t just tolerate or shrug off your slapping of her backside. They made it clear that such behaviour was unwanted and unacceptable.

“Women are entitled to go out and enjoy their evening without being assaulted.

“Let us be clear, that wasn’t a laugh and it wasn’t a joke, that was an assault, what you did.

“[The victim] was entitled to feel really angry at what you did.”

Judge Loram said Taylor was lightly convicted and had remained out of trouble for 18 years.

She said he had served his country in the armed forces, adding: “There is every chance you can go back to earning and contributing to society rather than making it worse.”

In any event, she said sentencing guidelines would limit the maximum term of imprisonment to “only a matter of weeks”.

“I see little to be achieved by that,” she said.

Taylor was sentenced to an 11-month community order, with conditions to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He must also pay prosecution costs of £500.

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